hungry

adjective hun·gry \ ˈhəŋ-grē \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of hungry

hungrier; hungriest

1 a : feeling an uneasy or painful sensation from lack of food : feeling hunger

b : characterized by or characteristic of hunger or appetite

a wolf with hungry eyes

2 a : eager, avid

hungry for affection

b : strongly motivated (as by ambition)

hungry investors

a power-hungry politician

3 : not rich or fertile : barren

a hungry soil

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hungrily

play \ˈhəŋ-grə-lē\ adverb

—

hungriness

play \ˈhəŋ-grē-nəs\ noun

See hungry defined for English-language learners

See hungry defined for kids

Examples of hungry in a Sentence

There are millions of hungry people throughout the world.
That girl is always hungry.
The prisoners' families were hungry for more information.
They were hungry to learn more.

Recent Examples of hungry from the Web

Every year, 100-percent of the proceeds collected go directly to the Enfield Food Shelf, a non-profit volunteer organization that is dedicated to assuring that no Enfield resident goes hungry due to lack of resources.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 8 May 2018
Theory-hungry fans have spent more than a year wondering what secrets lie ahead in Shogun World, the park based on the Edo period of Japanese history, but have had little time or reason to ponder the specifics of what Park Six entails.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Westworld' Subverts Shogun World Expectations With a Clever Detour," 6 May 2018
Because farmers could not afford to hire workers to harvest their crops, food spoiled in the fields while families went hungry.

— scott harrison, latimes.com, "From the Archives: 1933 farm workers paid with food," 4 May 2018
The citizens of this frozen, alternate-history England are cold, hungry, restless, and despairing.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Frostpunk review: Urban planning at the end of the world," 24 Apr. 2018
The timeline that the document shows two things: the first is that major companies such as Disney, Verizon, and Comcast are hungry for new intellectual property to add to their holdings.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "The Disney-21st Century Fox deal: a timeline," 20 Apr. 2018
Days later, with supplies exhausted and rescue elusive, Frankie, Stotts and 14 apes, all hungry, thirsty and dirty, take their chances outside.

— The Economist, "Into the storm, with a band of bonobos," 19 Apr. 2018
If the flowers continue the trend of blooming earlier and earlier, the hummingbirds will eventually go hungry.

— National Geographic, "Inside the Black Market Hummingbird Love Charm Trade," 18 Apr. 2018
The street is filled with the young, the hungry, the idle.

— mary morris, The Atlantic, "Fiction: Mama’s Haven," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hungry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hungry

Middle English, from Old English hungrig; akin to Old English hungor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hungry Synonyms

Phrases

champing at the bit, chomping at the bit;

HUNGRY Defined for English Language Learners

hungry

adjective

Definition of hungry for English Language Learners

: suffering because of a lack of food : greatly affected by hunger
: having an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach because you need food : feeling hunger
: feeling a strong desire or need for something or to do something